The invention relates to a retaining fastening for a flap pivotable around a horizontal swivel axis hinged to a top panel of a cupboard comprising a lever pivotably connectable to the body part of the cupboard, said lever's free end being guided in a rail which can be fixed to the inside of the flap at right angles to the swivel axis and said lever being acted up by a spring-loaded means preferably comprising a rod which can be travelled into or out of a spring housing by pneumatic or elastic force.
In a retaining fastening of this type known from utility model DE-GM 77 05 285 the end of the rod guided in the spring housing is pivotably connected to the extreme end section of the lever, this pivotable connection and the bearings of the lever and of the spring housing forming the comer points of a triangle on one side panel of the body part. As flaps provided with retaining fastenings are normally positioned at the user's head height, the flap provided with the known retaining fastening can swivel out in a dangerous manner with the support of the spring force so that there is a risk of injury for the user.
A retaining fastening for a flap is known from the German published application DE-OS 26 48 085 which comprises on the one hand a guide whose one end is pivotably connected to the upper edge section of the flap and whose other end is pivotably connected at a recessed point to the top side of the cupboard and on the other hand a lever arm hinged under a spring load with one end to a side panel, the other end of which lever arm is pivotably connected to the flap at a distance to the hinge position of the guide so that the flap is connected to the cupboard body via four hinges through the guide and the lever arm and thus can be pivoted out of its vertical closed position into an open position in which it is located diagonally above the body part. Apart from the complicated pivot mechanism, when the flap is hinged with this known retaining fastening, there must still be sufficient room above the cupboard to permit the flap to be pivoted into its open position.
From the German published application DE-OS 36 05 637 a retaining fastening for a flap is known in which the flap on the one hand is guided in a movable manner by a guide with the upper part of the cupboard in its middle section and on the other hand by two guides in lateral guide rails of the side panels of the body part with its lower section so that the flap can be pivoted outwards with its upper end. This retaining fastening also comprises a complicated hinge system with a weight compensation additionally needing to be provided for the flap pivoting outward over the head of the user.